Reviews

4.5

I loved reading this with my mom. She was just as bemused as I was at times and found so much of the stream of consciousness so strange and found the novel to be boring, funny, graphic, strange, strangely plotted, etc., an entire smorgasbord of reactions, which I can say I share in. I think to call this the "German Ulysses" is to inherently make this novel derivative of Joyce's work. The fact that this was a runaway bestseller, is still frequently taught in German schools, and is now being made into its third film adaptation shows its ability to employ wildly playful references and techniques without making it an overtly pretentious exercise for the academics with nothing better to do than decide every line that Joyce spits onto the page. This is genuinely fun throughout in its chaos. It feels like a fever dream of crime, sex, and gross humanity. It's utterly humanistic at times and at others has the ravaging nature of a Flannery O'Connor story. This is a socialist novel that has a slaughterhouse scene that challenges Upton Sinclair to prove that Döblin can effectively write even more graphic depictions of violence, that discusses the reality of life after prison, that challenges the nonsense of masculinity and the subjugation of women, that forces its protagonist to metamorphose under the most extreme violence, both physical and emotional, and it thrushes forward at an insane tempo. I need to watch the Rainer Werner Fassbinder miniseries soon, because this is just remarkably its own thing. The novel is truly idiosyncratic. I'll need to pick up some more Döblin in the future. Probably in German since I don't know about the availability of the rest of his bibliography in English. Sad. He's clearly a talent.

blueyorkie's review against another edition

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5.0

Berlin Alexanderplatz is an echo of Hugo's novel Les Miserables. It is about redemption; the big city is always in the background here, Berlin replaces Paris, and the central character, Franz Biberkopf, is a kind of new Jean Valjean, a force of nature, a former prisoner trying to return in a row. But if Hugo sought, above all, to enlighten his reader through an apology for the divine, Alfred Döblin has fun making his hero ridiculous and pathetic. Franz is a big simpleton ready to swallow all the snakes, especially those of Reinhold, his "greatest friend." To see this poor idiot tricking at page length is a real pain for the reader.
Finally, one cannot mention Berlin Alexanderplatz without mentioning the style of Döblin. This fiery, virulent, widespread, and cheeky style highlights the noises and sounds of Berlin and the bustle of its crowd.

infinimata's review against another edition

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5.0

Knock off a star or two if you hate Joycean streams, but Döblin's book is the slyer, angrier, bitterer, more realistic cousin to "Ulysses". Dublin's fair city -- pfft, nothing doing. Berlin eats its young. It ate Franz Biberkopf and spat out a one-armed man who looks down and sees no bottom to hit when he falls. The city has teeth and so does the book. Let them rake over you. You'll bleed a little, but it'll be worth it.

mattbowes's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny lighthearted sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

blindferret's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

0.5

adrionmacaron's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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